1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to therapeutic systems and methods for dietary health management, i.e., the prevention, treatment, or reduction of risk factors associated with diet-responsive conditions, or a combination thereof. In particular, it relates to systems providing a choice of prepackaged, easy to prepare, and good tasting, therapeutic meals which are intended to improve the health and quality of life of patients utilizing the system. Further, it relates to the fortification of meals and food products for use with such a system. As confirmed by clinical trials, the systems and methods disclosed herein achieve improvements in quantifiable indicators of diet-responsive conditions, improved quality of life, and a high degree of compliance.
2. Description of the Related Art
People have become increasingly aware of the importance of a proper diet for health maintenance and disease prevention and treatment. Unfortunately, because numerous different and often conflicting dietary guidelines are presented in such complex manners, it is often very difficult for a person attempting to follow a diet for health and disease management (hereinafter a "patient") to understand and fully and effectively implement a healthy diet. For example, a diet which maximizes health and disease management concerns might control the intake of simple sugars, cholesterol, and different quantities and types of fat, as well as calories, while also attempting to optimize levels of macro- and micronutrients, e.g., protein, carbohydrates, and fat, and vitamins and minerals, and to provide adequate dietary fiber. As suggested above, however, the problem of planning and maintaining a healthful diet goes beyond the usual health concerns and exists with respect to special diet situations, including those associated with diet-responsive conditions, such as cardiovascular disease (hypertension and hyperlipidemia), diabetes and cancer.
Diet planning assistance available to patients has been of limited value and often fails to satisfy long term compliance. Much additional planning has been left in the hands of patients who usually lack sufficient knowledge in the field of nutrition to fully and properly implement an adequate diet plan as part of a system or method for health management. More specifically, prior approaches to the planning and maintenance of a patient's diet have supplied the patient with general food and beverage categories to be consumed or avoided: for example, meat, eggs, and fish; fruits and vegetables; breads and cereals; and dairy products. Such approaches generally fail to achieve their desired goal, however, because patients do not consume general food and beverage categories; instead, they consume complex meals composed of specific foods and beverages. Even within these broad categories, specific foods and beverages are so diverse that it is often difficult for patients to convert the broad categories into meals, i.e., to plan, actual diets, while still maintaining adequate consumption of protein, carbohydrates, fat, sugars, cholesterol, fiber and other macro- and micronutrients meeting the dietary guidelines.
Previous approaches to health management have included various physical devices to assist the patient in counting macro- or micronutrients or otherwise planning and maintaining his or her diet. These have included manipulatable devices, as shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,606,555 and 4,625,675; various coupon and label systems, as shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,310,316, 4,652,241, and 4,689,019; and card menus identifying meal exchanges, as shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,950,164. Nevertheless, these devices, coupons, labels, and the like do not solve the problems addressed above of assisting patients by providing a simple, daily plan for consuming convenient meals composed of appropriate foods and beverages which satisfy the complex goals of a healthy diet over a period of time.
One procedure for providing a diet which is highly specific as to recommended foods and beverages is simply to provide a single fixed list of meals for a given day, week, or other time period or to provide the actual meals described on such a list. However, a fixed list or daily menu has the disadvantage of being too rigid and monotonous and, therefore, generally unappealing to patients after a relatively short period of time. Moreover, even a single fixed list of meals for a given day requires that patients purchase the components of the listed meals and assemble or prepare those meals. Both of these steps are time consuming and depending on the meals listed may require some degree of skill in the assembly or preparation. If it is more inconvenient, i.e., costly, difficult, or time consuming, to comply with the dietary recommendations, the satisfaction and compliance with the diet will be low. Moreover, if these nutritional goals are not met, malnutrition may result.
Nutrient imbalance may lead to physiological effects in humans, such as compromising cellular functions, e.g., immunoresponse, and, therefore, may negatively impact a patient's quality of life. Researchers have shown that, in many cases, these problems may be treated by orthomolecular therapy, such as that discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,973,467. Orthomolecular therapy is the treatment of a condition in a patient by varying the concentration of nutrients normally present in humans. These nutrients may include micronutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, trace elements, hormones, amino acids, and enzymes. If the concentration of any of these substances in a patient's system is low, it may disturb biochemical homeostasis, which may result in increased patient anxiety and/or stress. Thus, such imbalances may adversely impact quality of life. Regulating the concentration of these substances in the body helps to attain and maintain improved quality of life and health.
Another condition often associated with improper diet and health management is excess weight. Excess weight is associated with an increased risk of several chronic disorders, including non-insulin dependent (or Type II) diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease, such as coronary heart disease (CHD) and atherosclerotic disease. These risks, however, appear to decline following a sustained reduction in weight. Nevertheless, neither large fluctuations in body weight nor extreme restrictions in food intake are desirable.
In the North American population and other westernized societies, body weight and body mass index are increasing in spite of a reduction in overall caloric intake in some populations. Additionally, physical activity is decreasing. These trends as well as the association of moderate, regular physical activity with reduced risks of heart disease have led to the recommendation that the U.S. population increase its physical activity level and that all healthy people maintain physical activity at a moderately active level, and moderate their dietary intake to maintain appropriate caloric intake and body weight.
Diet may also have an effect on hypertension. It is probable that hypertension susceptibility to salt (salt sensitivity) is genetically determined, but a reliable genetic marker for salt sensitivity has not yet been identified. Thus, individuals with hypertension, who are salt sensitive, are most likely to benefit from salt reduction. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends consumption of no more than about 3000 mg of sodium per day. However, even in salt-sensitive patients, a sodium intake of less than about 3000 mg is unlikely to contribute to blood pressure elevation and may even lead to blood pressure reduction. There is some evidence to suggest that frequent consumption of salt-preserved or salt-pickled foods increases the risk of stomach cancer.
A large and convincing body of evidence from studies in humans and laboratory animals shows that diets low in saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and cholesterol are associated with lower risks and rates of cardiovascular diseases than diets that are high in fat and cholesterol. High-fat diets are also linked to a high incidence of some types of cancer (e.g, colon and breast cancer) and obesity. Thus, reducing total fat and SFA intake seems likely to lower the rates and variety of these diet-related chronic diseases.
Different types of fatty acids have different effects on health. SFAs and dietary cholesterol tend to increase serum, low density (LDL) and very low density (VLDL) lipoproteins, and cholesterol and, consequently, the risk of cardiovascular disease. The evidence linking high-fat diets, e.g., diets which provide greater than 40% calories from fat, to increased cancer risk may be less firmly established than that associating SFAs and dietary cholesterol to CHD. The weight of evidence indicates that high-fat diets, which are also high in saturated fats, are associated with a higher risk of some cancers, especially of the colon, prostate, and breast. Most studies with humans suggest that diets with high total fat or SFA content adversely affect cancer risk. Few studies in humans have yet examined the benefits of changing to low-fat diets; however, such evidence exists from experiments in animal trials. The combined evidence from human epidemiologic and laboratory animal studies suggests that reduction of total dietary fat is likely to reduce the risk of these cancers. Concern that an increase in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) intake may increase risk of certain cancers derives primarily from studies of animals on very-high-PUFA diets. Given the absence of human diets naturally very high in total PUFAs and the lack of information about the long-term consequences of high PUFA intake, PUFA intake has not been increased above about 10%.
Another diet-responsive condition which may be helped by improved health management is non-insulin dependent diabetes. Generally, the bodies of patients suffering from non-insulin dependent diabetes produces insulin, but the insulin produced does not function properly. Insulin dependent diabetics do not produce any insulin and must receive injections of insulin to avoid ketoacidosis, i.e., the build-up of ketones in the blood stream. Some non-insulin dependent diabetics may control their diabetes simply by limiting the amount and types of foods and beverages that they consume and increasing their physical activity levels or losing weight. However, many must also take oral hypoglycemic agents or insulin in order to metabolize their glucose.
The America Diabetes Association (ADA) states that non-insulin dependent diabetics may use a combination of diet, exercise, and medication to lower plasma glucose and plasma lipid levels. Diet is important not only to control plasma glucose and lipid levels, but to maintain control over body weight. As noted above, obesity may be linked to the onset or progression of non-insulin dependent diabetes. Moreover, insulin functions better in persons near their appropriate body weight. Weight increases also may cause diabetes-related problems, such as hypertension or CHD. Therefore, an appropriate diet for diabetics generally is calculated to include management of caloric intake and body weight.
In addition, the ADA recommends a diet low in fat and sugars, especially simple sugars. This is important in order to keep plasma glucose and plasma lipid levels under control. A low-fat diet, which is also low in sodium, further may reduce the likelihood of related problems such as hypertension and CHD. Moreover, a diet which is low in fat, simple sugars, and sodium is also generally high in fiber and complex carbohydrates. Dietary fiber has been shown to reduce plasma glucose and plasma lipid levels. In addition, foods high in complex carbohydrates, e.g., grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits, are also excellent sources of vitamins, minerals, and calories.
Observational epidemiological studies and clinical experiments also have generated a number of hypotheses about the role of dietary factors in the etiology of various types of cancer. As discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,777,045, epidemiologic studies have identified low intake of dietary fiber as one of the factors associated with an increased rate of cancer of the colon and rectum. The presence of fiber in the intestinal tract may decrease food transit time, which reduces contact time between potential carcinogens and the mucosa, and dilute the intestinal contents. Thus, the presence of fiber may reduce the interaction of procarcinogens with bacteria. Although there currently appears to be no definitive definition of the material which is generally referred to as "fiber," the term "dietary fiber" has been applied to the plant cell wall constituents that are not digested by the secretions of the human digestive tract. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) currently recommends that patients consume about 20 to 30 grams of dietary fiber daily. Excessive consumption of fiber, e.g., greater than about 35 grams daily, however, may cause adverse health management effects.
The NCI also suggests that diets rich in foods containing Vitamin C and Vitamin A from fruits and vegetables may also reduce the risk of cancer. Epidemiologic studies have shown that diets high in Vitamin A and Vitamin C are associated with lower risks of some kinds of cancers. Therefore, the NCI recommends consumption of a variety of fruits and vegetables, including fruit and vegetable juices that are high in Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Especially beneficial are cruciferous vegetables which are good sources of fiber, as well as vitamins and minerals.
It also is increasingly appreciated that hypertension, non-insulin dependent diabetes, and various dyslipidemias frequently coexist. Further, these conditions may share common pathophysiological features including insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, and abnormal sodium or calcium metabolism, or both. The association of each of these conditions with accelerated atherosclerotic disease has been termed Generalized Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease (GCMD).
In an attempt to facilitate management of GCMD, complex therapeutic strategies for each of these conditions emphasize nutritional interventions as one of the primary strategies for treatment. Diet alone may be a first choice of treatment for a large number of patients with one or more of these conditions, and diet, alone or in combination with other lifestyle changes, e.g., increased physical activity and cessation of smoking, or with pharmacological agents. Included in the nutritional interventions generally are a dietary sodium restriction; calcium supplementation; reduced intake of simple sugars; and controlled intake of saturated fat and cholesterol coupled with increased intake of dietary fiber and PUFAs.
In practice, choosing the proper combinations of therapeutic meals that implement a health management system appropriate for GCMD is difficult. For many patients, this complexity in choosing meals is so difficult that compliance will be inadequate to achieve desired health improvement. Consequently, a simple to follow, comprehensive health management system designed specifically for individuals diagnosed with one or more cardiovascular or metabolic conditions, or both, is needed. Simplicity and comprehensiveness are both essential if adequate compliance is to be achieved.
Various health organizations have developed individual dietary guidelines aimed at interventions for specific conditions. While such interventions have the potential to greatly reduce health risks, unfortunately, they often are performed in isolation from each other. Thus, a nutritional health management system targeted at simultaneously achieving a desirable therapeutic balance of vitamin, mineral, fiber, carbohydrate, protein, and fat content has been lacking.
A successful health management system comprising healthy meals composed of specific foods and beverages includes a mechanism for providing sufficient variety and versatility to maintain the interest of patients for an extended, or even an indefinite, period of time. If a diet is tasty, simple to understand, and easy to follow and the meals are simply and quickly obtained and prepared, compliance with the diet also will be high. Taste and appearance also may be critical factors in attaining adequate compliance. If the patient does not enjoy consuming the meals included in the diet, he or she is less likely to remain on the diet.
Thus, a need exists for a system and method which provides to the patient highly specific, yet flexible, meal, i.e., food and beverage, information that will satisfy the majority of the complex health guidelines applicable to the patient. These guidelines include meeting recommended dietary levels for calories, fat, proteins, simple sugars, sodium, cholesterol, or macro- and micronutrients. Further, such systems and methods should be sufficiently flexible to permit day-to-day variation of their selected variety of foods and beverages within the system and should involve an exchange mechanism which may be easily and conveniently utilized by patients.